Straightline

Arguably the most likeable car in the current Dodge lineup, the Challenger will live on in the new Dodge car brand, receiving only a minor refresh in 2011.

The Dodge Caliber, on the other hand, will dead by 2012 (new interior notwithstanding apparently). It will be replaced by a compact Fiat-based sedan and a small B-segment car produced by Fiat and imported to the U.S. A Fiat-based C-segment sedan is also in the works.

The Dodge Avenger will get a new interior and an engine of unspecified size and horsepower (though just about anything would be better than the current offerings) in the fourth quarter of 2010. Exterior styling will be made less offensive, and there will be better NVH control in the cabin. However, this is a just a stopgap, as a new D-segment sedan will replace it sometime in 2012 or 2013.

Even more important is the refresh coming for the Dodge Grand Caravan, which is still one of the most recognizable nameplates in the Dodge brand. The DGC gets a new interior, a refreshed exterior, a retuned suspension, a new engine and improved NVH control.

Finally, an all-new 7-passenger crossover is coming, too, and it will exist along side the Grand Caravan and Dodge Journey.

Reporting by Dan Pund, Senior Editor, Detroit

Categories: Chrysler,Coupes,Crossovers,Dodge,Fiat,Hatchbacks,Minivans,Sedans

Yep, welcome to SEMA. And we don't mean just the hood. Everything that's red is leather. Nuts.

Continue reading JDM Van Wrapped in Leather at SEMA.

Categories: Minivans,SEMA Show,Tuners and Modifications

There was a time when an event such at the Specialty Equipment Marketers Association (SEMA) show in Las Vegas would have been packed to the rafters with modified vans, carrying horrid metal-flake paint jobs and interiors that looked like the inside of a trombone case.

That time has passed. Still, Ford dropped off its dorky, little Euro work van with the folks at Azentek and Grant Products to load it down with custom paint, BBS wheels, navigation and entertainment systems as well as what Ford described as a "kitchen on wheels."

Okay sure, it's cute in a dorky VW Camper van sort of way. But we think it still pales in comparison to the custom Transit Connect we designed months ago. To each their own, we guess. (original art by Boris Vallejo; illustration by Kurt Niebuhr)

Categories: Ford,Minivans,SEMA Show,Tuners and Modifications

Updated at 9 AM PDT -- More Photos

We don't spend a lot of time talking about the Subaru Exiga, because this Japanese-style minivan probably won't ever come to the U.S. It's roomy enough all right (we sat in all three rows today) since it's based on the current Impreza/Legacy architecture, but the rear doors are all hinged and Subaru would rather sell us Tribecas.

Still, there are a couple of interesting specialty Exigas in its booth at the Tokyo auto show. The more eye-catching of the two is the Subaru Exiga 2.0GT tuned by STI. You'll hear people call this the Exiga STI, but it's far less of an STI than the Forester XTI concept shown at last year's SEMA show.

It has zero engine modifications and uses the same 221-hp, 2.0-liter turbocharged boxer-4 as the standard Exiga 2.0GT (the top trim in the range). It also has a five-speed automatic with shift paddles and downshift rev-matching like the U.S.-spec Legacy 3.6R.

The STI part of it comes from the fact that Subaru Tecnica International put on its own springs and dampers, along with a strut tower brace. The wheels are different, too, but still just 17s like the stock alloys. And obviously, there's a body kit and flashier exhaust tips. Although the showcar concept is done up by STI for Tokyo, Subaru plans to put this Exiga into production -- no surprise at all considering there's already a very similar version of the Japanese-spec Legacy 2.5GT wagon.

More worthy of your attention is the Exiga EyeSight technology exhibit, as it has an interesting new safety system that will eventually make it to U.S.-market Subarus. More on this Exiga after the jump.

Continue reading Subaru Exiga 2.0GT Tuned by STI and Exiga EyeSight at the 2009 Tokyo Auto Show.

Categories: Minivans,Subaru,Tokyo Motor Show

Like we've said, Japanese buyers love vans. Scheduled to debut in Tokyo, the Mitsubishi i MiEV Cargo is based on the i car, the tiny but neatly packaged, rear-drive, rear-engine, 4-passenger car that Mitsubishi offers in the kei class. The i MiEV is the electric version of the i car, which we've driven. It's already in production in Japan, and Mitsubishi announced at this year's New York Auto Show that it plans to bring it to the U.S. as well. (We'll have to wait and see on that one.)

So the i MiEV Cargo is the cargo van version of the i MiEV evidently aimed at contractors with a green conscience. Or, perhaps, contractors wanting a tax break. It's the same idea (only smaller) as the electric Transit Connect that Ford is preparing, and claimed range is similar: 100 miles.

We rather like the camper-conversion-like appearance of the i MiEV Cargo, and by Mitsubishi's measurements, it offers over 60 cubic feet of cargo space -- quite a lot for a van that's only 134 inches long and 58 inches wide and laden with lithium-ion batteries. For perspective, the i MiEV Cargo has the same wheelbase as a U.S.-spec Nissan Cube but is about 20 inches shorter and 9 inches narrower.

The i MiEV Cargo's rear-drive electric motor is good for a claimed 63 horsepower and 133 pound-feet of torque.

More photos after the jump.

First Drive: 2010 Mitsubishi i MiEV

Continue reading Tokyo Preview: Mitsubishi i MiEV Cargo.

Categories: Concept Vehicles,Green Tech,Minivans,Mitsubishi,Tokyo Motor Show

Japanese customers have an endless appetite for cool minivans, so no Tokyo auto show would be complete without at least a half-dozen. Here's Honda's entry for 2009: the Skydeck concept.

The Honda Skydeck is a 6-seat hybrid minivan. We know that Honda wants to take the Insight's hybrid formula and expand it into new areas of the market and the attractive Skydeck is one possible direction. But the appeal of such a vehicle would likely be limited to Japan, where the minivan is sacred. In the U.S., a hybrid minivan still seems like a tough sell to familymobile buyers who, no matter what they, always, always have their eye on the bottom line and won't necessarily spend big bucks on hybrid tech.

For now, at least, the Skydeck is a pure concept with no word of what's under the hood. But the Skydeck could be more significant than it initially appears with its flamboyant scissor-type doors. You see, it relocates the Insight's hybrid system battery to sit within the centre console that runs along the cabin floor -- perhaps a clue to a next-generation IMA hybrid system designed to power bigger vehicles.

More photos after the jump.

Continue reading Tokyo Preview: Honda Skydeck Concept.

Categories: Concept Vehicles,Honda,Minivans,Tokyo Motor Show

Back in 1963, West Germany slapped a tarriff on frozen chicken exported from the U.S., and the Johnson administration retaliated by slapping a 25-percent tariff on all pickups and cargo vans imported into the U.S. (take that, VW Transporter!). The chicken tax, as it's called, lives on today, and it's the reason Toyota and Nissan assemble all their pickups in the United States -- there'd be no profit otherwise

How then does Ford make money on cargo versions of its Transit Connect minivan, which is built in Turkey? A news feature in today's Wall Street Journal explains how Ford avoids the tax.

Evidently, a load of Transit Connect Wagons (Ford doesn't call them "Vans," and this is key) arrives in Baltimore. They're finished vehicles with seats, carpeting and side/rear window glass. A few will go straight on to Ford dealerships and be sold as passenger vans. But most head to a warehouse, where said seats, carpeting and glass are stripped out. This leaves a few holes in the floor (where the seat bolts were), so each van gets a new floor panel. The conversion takes about 5 minutes, and then the Transit Connect is ready to be sold as a "Cargo Van." But now it's only subject to a 2.5-percent import tax, instead of the 25-percent hit.

You might think the seats could be shipped back to Turkey for use in the next U.S.-bound batch, but Ford says it's more cost-effective to shred the seat cloth and foam for landfill cover and recycle the steel. --Thanks to Bob Holland for the tip.

Wall Street Journal

Categories: Ford,Minivans

File this under "We Have No Idea..." It's apparently an exercise in how many people will fit in the Subaru Dias Wagon, a tiny, Japan-only minivan. And apparently, it's a Subaru promotional video.

Categories: Minivans,Subaru

Behold, the future of mini-minivans is upon us here in Frankfurt. Ford introduced the seven-passenger, sliding-rear-door-having Grand C-Max. This vehicle (minus the "Grand" modifier in the name) will hit the U.S. market in late 2011.

The Grand C-Max and the somewhat less grand, five-seat C-Max are the first Ford vehicles introduced that are based on the new Focus platform. We'll get the updated, full-Euro-level Focus late in 2010 after an unveiling at January's Detroit show.

The C-Max is a handsome little mover that Ford claims will occupy "white space" in the American market. In other words, there are no competitors in that class. Either the company is intentionally forgetting the Mazda 5 or it considers the similarly sized little minivan to not be a proper competitor since it seats only six. Certainly, Ford will be hoping the C-Max sells a whole lot better than the rare Mazda.

Categories: Ford,Frankfurt Auto Show,Minivans

We'd heard the speculation and today in Frankfurt, Ford made it official: The seven-passenger Ford Grand C-Max will come to the U.S., probably late in the 2011 calendar year.

Both are built on the newest version of Ford's global C-segment architecture, which will also underpin the third-generation Ford Focus, which will also come here.

Ford has not yet decided how to brand the 2012 Grand C-Max in the U.S. For instance, it might or might not have "Focus" in its name.

More details from Auto Observer.

Categories: Ford,Frankfurt Auto Show,Future Vehicles,Minivans

Last week we brought you spy photos of a 7-passenger Ford C-Max minivan in full camouflage, along with official images of the 5-seat C-Max that will debut at the Frankfurt Auto Show. Today, official images of the 7-passenger C-Max leaked out. We now know the vehicle will be called Ford Grand C-Max. And given that one of the photos shows the Grand C-Max next to the 5-seater C-Max, there's little doubt it will be in Frankfurt.

Like the Mazda 5, the Ford Grand C-Max has sliding rear doors and three rows of seating. Check the photos after the jump, and you'll notice, the second-row can be configured as a three-across bench or as a pair of captain's chairs. Our U.S.-spec Mazda 5 has the latter configuration only (and tops out at 6 passengers), but we've taken a ride in a Euro-spec Mazda 5 that had the same 40/20/40 setup as this Grand C-Max.

Still no official confirmation on whether the Ford Grand C-Max will come to the U.S., but it seems like a sensible move.

More photos after the jump.

worldcarfans via Autoblog

Continue reading Another Frankfurt Leak: 7-Passenger Ford Grand C-Max.

Categories: Ford,Frankfurt Auto Show,Minivans

Chrysler's Windsor, Ontario assembly plant recently restarted international minivan production, and the company made a short video of a right-hand-drive Grand Voyager rolling off the line. It has Chrysler's 2.8-liter diesel inline-4 (aka, the 2.8L CRD for "Common Rail Diesel") rated at 161 hp at 3,800 rpm and 256 pound-feet of torque from 1,600-3,000 rpm. This engine accounts for 90 percent of the Grand Voyagers sold in Europe.

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Categories: Auto Industry,Chrysler,Minivans

On the heels of yesterday's 2011 Ford C-Max spy shot, Ford has released official photos and information on the 2011 Ford C-Max that will debut in a couple weeks at the Frankfurt Auto Show. But you'll notice this C-Max doesn't have rear sliding doors like the van in the spy photo. It also looks a bit shorter -- the rear quarter windows appear to have a different shape.

So we suspect Ford plans to do some differentiation in door configuration and, likely, seating capacity within the 2011 C-Max line. There's no way this particular van will seat more than five. The fact that it will be powered by Ford's direct-injected, 1.6-liter "EcoBoost" four-cylinder engine suggests as much.

Like the current C-Max, this one is based on the front-wheel-drive Focus platform architecture. New technology on the second-generation C-Max will include a blind spot information system and a semi-automated parallel parking system.

It will go on sale in Europe in the second half of 2010, says Ford, and the redesigned Focus (Mk III) will launch there at the end of 2010. Expect to wait a while longer before we see a new Focus in the U.S.

More photos after the jump.

2009 Frankfurt Auto Show Preview: 2011 Ford C-Max

Continue reading Frankfurt Auto Show: 2011 Ford C-Max -- Without Rear Sliding Doors.

Categories: Ford,Frankfurt Auto Show,Hatchbacks,Minivans

Ford has sold the 5-passenger C-Max in Europe for several years. It's a small minivan based on the European Ford Focus, and it's closely related to the 6-passenger Mazda 5 (though the 5 seats 7 in Europe). But unlike the Mazda, it has never had sliding rear doors.

However, Ford is readying its next-generation C-Max people mover, and we just spotted a prototype testing in the mountains of Austria. And what do you know? Now it has rear sliders. Perhaps not coincidentally, Ford is expected to offer this C-Max in America, to better leverage its global product portfolio. It would do battle with the Mazda 5, Kia Rondo and any number of small SUVs.

Bringing the C-Max to the U.S. would represent an interesting experiment to see if U.S. buyers will take to a European-style people mover on our shores. And it would plug a hole in Ford's lineup vacated by the Windstar/Freestar and not quite filled by the size-XL Ford Flex.

Categories: Ford,Minivans,Spy Photos

These are the first spy photos of the 2011 Honda Odyssey and not surprisingly they show a minivan that's not all that different from the current model.

And why would it be? The current Odyssey already rules the segment, at least in terms of desirability, if not sales. This prototype appears to be about the same size as the current model and judging by the sizable trailer in tow it will have another powerful V6 under the hood. Honda's new six-speed automatic transmission should help maintain its performance too while improving mileage. Expect to see a finished version of this redesigned minivan next spring.

Categories: Honda,Minivans,Spy Photos